I ordered the Cuisinart FastFreeze (FreezeWand in EU/UK) on a whim because while I have a Lello Musso 4080, I've been interested in the Ninja Creami for less traditional recipes ("healthy" options for my kids, for example). I never pulled the trigger on the Creami though because I'm at a total loss for counterspace and really couldn't justify another small appliance.
I saw a few obviously sponsored posts on Instagram recently about this product, which produces only 1/2 pint sizes and is more of a drawer stored appliance, and decided to give it a try.
So far, I've only tried some ready made protein shakes and greek yogurt with fruit. Results were somewhat icy/granita like/powdery, but no surprise there.
What concerned me more was the "Mixing Assembly" piece (pictured) that houses the blade and where you push the top handle in to spin. The instruction manual says not to submerge this piece in water, but water definitely gets inside the top part when you rinse the blade and any product that gets stuck in between the blade and the plastic. I've seen water drip through to the other side. The manual says to push the top part down so the blade protrudes from this piece for rinsing, but that doesn't help get the ice cream off the plastic part (and then if you rinse quickly under running water, it sprays everywhere and it's difficult to hold the top shaft part down while flipping upside down. Not to mention if I made something with fat content, it would be greasy and need soap… so this doesn't seem practical at all.
I also noticed some specks of IDK what, metal? grease? IDK falling into the cavity (which doesn't get near the blade or anything), but maybe from friction of pushing the motor down? And I noticed the motor overheats after spinning 3 flavors, and a bit of a warm plastic smell. So, I'm not 100% sold on this thing's build quality or longevity. But mainly not really keen on the cleaning process.
Anyway, I'm pretty sure I'm going to return this (hopefully not too expensive return shipping, since I bought directly from Cuisinart. I should have ordered from Kohls), since this doesn't seem as well thought out as I had hoped.
by cilucia
2 Comments
Actually I don’t think I can return it to [Cuisinart.com](http://Cuisinart.com), since I opened it – oops. I should’ve read the return policy more carefully…
I also have one and have similar concerns, especially about the over heating smell (and yes, I am letting the bases thaw for 10 minutes first).
I have had ice cream drip into the part above the blade where the spring is and had to fill that with water to clean it out. I just do a very quick rinse, which I’m not sure qualifies as ‘submerging’. It’s also really difficult to push the rod out to clean it– the advertisements made it look really easy
The blade also doesn’t seem replaceable. I could be wrong, but it looks replaceable on the Creami
I’ve mostly been using the commercial Dole Pineapple Whip mix and have gotten really good results, so far, on a single spin, but I haven’t tested it with a traditional ice cream recipe or with protein powder yet
It’s definitely a win for dorms and similar situations without much counter or freezer space. A traditional bowl machine would not fit in my freezer, much less a bowl with ice as well, so this is my only option. I suppose I could replace my toaster with a Ninja Creami, but the toaster gets a lot more use and this is half the price